Powered by Daixiao!

AFL 2016: North’s Luke McDonald signs, but Joel Tippett out for a month

Posted by admin on 10/07/2018

Luke McDonald (right) has signed a contract extension with North Melbourne. Photo: Michael DodgeNorth Melbourne’s back line has endured a mixed Monday, with Luke McDonald signing a new two-year contract but Joel Tippett ruled out for up to six weeks.

Tippett was injured playing for Werribee on Saturday, after being kneed in the back during a game against the under-18 AFL Academy.

The key defender reported pain and spasms in his lower back after the match, and suffered extensive bruising to the muscles in that region.

He was also diagnosed with a fracture of the transverse process, a small piece of bone that extends from the side of the vertebrae.

North Melbourne’s director of football, Geoff Walsh, said Tippett’s pain has since settled but that he was likely to miss at least the next month.

“The word ‘fracture’ is never a good one when it comes to injuries, but in Joel’s case, it is not one that will interfere significantly with his conditioning or long term spinal function,” he said.

“There’s no need for surgery and our medical team is certainly aiming at getting him back in about four weeks.”

Meanwhile, father-son recruit McDonald has signed until the end of 2018, after enduring a bumpy second season in 2015 that ended with him being left out of the preliminary final side.

“Looking back on the year, it was almost the year I had to have, because it really woke me up,” he told the club website.

“It was the small things I probably hadn’t been doing. It was definitely a driving factor going into this year, going into the pre-season and doing everything right.”

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.